Upgrading your Monogram / Revell Classic Battlestar Galactica

Anyone here still have the old Monogram / Revell Classic Galactica kit? I still have 2 with me and now with the advernt of having Moebius' kit, I'm not sure if anyone here are still willing to work on the older ones. But just in case, I will highlight some of the aftermarket parts you are going to need.

I still remember the early days of my youth when I saw an advertisment page inside one of the old Marvel (or DC) comic book I was reading, that was during the 80s, highlighting Monogram's range of Battlestar Galactica's kits encompassing the 1/4105 scale Galactica and Cylon Basestar, the 1/32 scale Colonial Viper and Cylon Raider. Believe it or not, I am a bigger Galactica fan than I was a Star Wars fan (I was pro Empire too). I would literally drool over those images over and over and go through the kit's specifications like it was the secret to life.  Monogram literally became a big brand name for me due to this (they also had Buck Roger's kits as well then too) and also made my day by becoming the first company to ever produce plastic kits for the Battlestar Galactica series.

I also remembered seeing the kits selling at one of our prominent shopping malls during the 80s (Malaysians will remember Kathy Toys at Jaya Supermarket, Section 14, PJ, Malaysia) alongside with MPC's Star Wars range. Then The Empire Strikes Back was screening. I know this because they had the MPC Star Destroyer kit under The Empire Strikes Back label and she was sitting next to the Galactica. But I was only a kid then, and wasn't able to afford any of them at all. I remembered feeling so lost out after coming so close to touching them, but I still held out for that small glimmer of hope that one day I could own them. Then my birthday came but it was a few months later, and I had my my uncle take me back to the shop (ok, ok, so I pestered him until he gave in), and I remembered rushing into the shop with my andrenalin pumping at 200hp only to find  .... all the Battlestar Galactica kits were sold out. I was so disappointed, and angry at my fate then.

I guess my uncle must have notice my disappointment as he did get me the MPC Star Destroyer instead - my very first Star Wars kit. She came in that huge elongated box and it was quite a sight for a kid at my size then, so the day wasn't totally lost. I also remembered getting into trouble with my parents after that for getting my Uncle to buy it for me, but I was already willing to go to hell and back for those kits (abett the original plan was the Galactica, or at least the Colonial Viper). God bless him for his kindness.

Suffice to say I finally managed to get all of them (reissues) many many years later, and they are still part of my stash until this day. I guess you could say these kits now have a special meaning for me as I can still, remember how I felt and that unfoundering desire to have them.

The kits then went from Monogram to Revell (I managed to get the Revell packaging) when they reissued them. I was working in a mall then and frequented a hobby store there. One day I saw the shop had all four kits and without hesitation, I grabbed all of them. Later reissue had some new tooling (modifications) done to the Colonial Viper, Cylon Raider and Basestar kits but the Galactica itself was not re-issued. The kit was completely inaccurate, and I believe it had met with many complaints. A clean build-up from the box would make the Galactica look like some kind of Space Platypus (my wife said it looked more like a hunchback lizard). If you were to compare her to the actual studio model, you would have this weird desire to burn the kit. You see, the shape itself was wroing, and the original studio model had hundreds of parts scavenged from various model kits to construct the Battlestar we know today.

There was a site (I can't find the link now) where fans actually go about identifying the parts individually, and try to re-construct a replica of the Galactica as she was. I am not sure how they managed to track down every single on of them, but they had them numbered and link to the kits they were from. Here are a few sample of their effort.

Really meticulous and edious. Of course we are talking about reconstructing a replica of the studio model in her exact scale. The monogram kit was only in 1/4105 scale, really small compare tho that.

So let's talk about how to get your Monogram kit to spec.

You will of course definitely need aftermarket parts (and lots of them) which literally require you to butcher the entire kit. I am guessing Revell didn't want to be seen producing a platypus anymore, hence when they did with the final re-issue was to omit the Galactica altogether from the production line.

The best aftermarket parts for this kit is still from Arvey Model Products as it comprehensively replaces .. well, almost everything. There will be a lot of butchering required and this is strictly for the professional modeler as it involves sharp knieves. However, despite the large number of parts to be replaced, the kit unfortunately is still not complete.

You are also going to need to detail the sides of the ship which still looks plain and ... wrong. These available panels are not exactly accurate, but they do help to make the ship's surface look busy, and they are available from Federation models.

After that, you will need the correct decals for her. These you can get from JT-Graphics

If your aim is to produce the best and most accurate Battlesate Galactica out of the Monogram kit, be prepared to spend on her as this kit really really needs a lot of work. Many got intimidated by the amount of work as well as the amount of money required to detail and accurize this kit. That is why we all love Moebius. They heard the fans crying, and they responded. To this day, they have the best version of the classic Battlestar Galactica plastic kit in 1/4105 scale.